Multi-axial positioning mechanism for a FIMS system port door

ABSTRACT

A multi-axial positioning system of unitary construction design selectively moves a port door along two transverse paths of travel toward and away from the aperture of a port plate. The positioning system includes a link carriage operatively connected to a drive mechanism that moves a drive carriage along a first travel path. A pivot link structure causes the link and drive carriages to move in unison for a distance along the first travel path. A guide prevents the link carriage from moving past a location along the first travel path, and, in response, the pivot link pivotally moves to cause the link carriage to move along a second travel path and thereby move the port door toward or away from the port plate aperture, depending on the direction of movement of the drive carriage along the first travel path relative to the link carriage.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 10/335,134, filedDec. 30, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,765,222, which is a division ofapplication Ser. No. 09/612,757, filed Jul. 10, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No.6,501,070, issue date Dec. 31, 2002 which is a continuation in part ofapplication Ser. No. 09/352,155, filed Jul. 12, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No.6,281,516, which claims the benefit of provisional Application No.60/092,626, filed Jul. 13, 1998.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to front-opening interface mechanicalstandard (FIMS) system equipment and, in particular, to a FIMS transportbox load interface that facilitates proper registration and accurate,secure positioning of a transport box as the specimens it contains aretransferred between a minienvironment and a separate, enclosed specimentransport system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A system designed to incorporate FIMS permits handling of semiconductorwafers inside and outside of clean room facilities by interfacing aclean semiconductor wafer cassette transport box or pod to a cleanenvironmental housing for semiconductor processing equipment or to otherclean environments. The system concept entails mating a box door on afront-opening unified pod (FOUP) or cassette container box to a portdoor on an equipment enclosure and transferring the cassette into andout of the processing equipment without exposing to outsidecontamination the semiconductor wafers carried by the pod or wafercassette.

A standard interface is required for cassette transport boxes intendedto control the transport environment of cassettes containingsemiconductor wafers. The standard interface addresses the propertransport box orientation for material transfer and maintains continuitybetween the transport box and semiconductor processing equipmentenvironment to control particulate matter. The FIMS specifications areset out in the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International(SEMI) standard SEMI E47-, E57-, E62-, and E63-0298 (1996–1998).

A FIMS system includes minimum volume, sealed front-opening boxes usedfor storing and transporting semiconductor wafer cassettes and canopiesplaced over wafer processing areas of semiconductor processing equipmentso that the environments inside the boxes and canopies in cooperationwith clean air sources become miniature clean spaces. The boxes are madeof plastic materials having registration features located relative toone another within and of sizes characterized by relatively widetolerances that can affect equipment alignment precision. What is neededis a box load interface implemented as part of a transfer mechanism forprecise box alignment during loading and unloading of wafer cassettesfrom a sealed box without external environment contamination of thewafers carried by the wafer cassette.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a box load interface implemented in a FIMSsystem. The box load interface comprises a retractable port door that isattachable to the box door of a transport box and that selectively movesthe box door toward or away from the box cover of the transport box tothereby open or close it. A port plate has a front surface and a portplate aperture through which the box door can move as the port doormoves the box door toward or away from the box cover. A slidable trayslidably mounted to a support shelf positioned transversely of the portplate receives the transport box in a predetermined orientationestablished by kinematic coupling surfaces located on the top surface ofthe slidable tray.

A slidable tray positioning mechanism selectively moves the slidabletray on the support shelf and thereby moves the transport box toward oraway from the port plate. There are three preferred embodiments of a boxhold down clamping mechanism mounted to the support shelf. Thepositioning mechanism is operatively connected to a first embodiment ofthe clamping mechanism to engage the clamping mechanism to a frontclamping feature positioned on the bottom surface of the transport boxand thereby apply an urging force to the box cover against the kinematiccoupling surfaces while the slidable tray advances toward the port plateto push the front opening of the box cover against the front surface ofthe port plate. The positioning mechanism is operatively connected tothe clamping mechanism also to disengage the clamping mechanism from thefront clamping feature and thereby release the urging force from the boxcover against the kinematic coupling surfaces while the slidable trayretracts from the port plate to pull the box cover away from the frontsurface of the port plate.

The box hold down clamping mechanism preferably includes a pivot fingerpivotally mounted to the support shelf, and the slidable tray includes apush pin. The pivot finger has a recessed area that forms first andsecond angularly offset push pin contact surfaces that receive the pushpin as the slidable tray moves the transport box toward the port plateand thereby rotates the pivot finger in a first rotational sense toengage the pivot finger to the front feature and moves the transport boxaway from the port plate and thereby rotates the pivot finger in asecond rotational sense that is opposite to the first rotational senseto disengage the pivot finger from the front feature. The pivot fingerincludes a roller bearing that engages the front feature as the pivotfinger rotates in the first rotational sense.

The positioning mechanism and each of second and third embodiments ofthe clamping mechanism are fixed with respect to each other so that aclamping mechanism operating under fluidic control engages anddisengages from the front clamping feature in the absence of forceapplied by the sliding motion of the slidable tray.

The port plate includes a surface from which two compliant latch keysextend to mate with and operate the latch actuating coupler mechanismwithin its relatively wide alignment tolerance range, and a latchingmotor mechanism operatively connected to the compliant latch keysselectively rotates them between first and second angular positions. Thelatch keys are designed to “wobble” laterally to accommodate thetolerance range of the corresponding mating features on the box door andthereby ensure proper alignment to it. The first angular positionsecures the port door to and the second angular position releases theport door from the box door when the port and box doors are in matableconnection.

An alternative embodiment of the two compliant latch keys includes alatch key pull back mechanism operating under fluidic control tosecurely hold the box door in alignment against the port door when thebox and port doors are in matable connection. Maintaining the alignmentestablished to fit the port door latch keys into the box door matingfeatures ensures that there is no post-separation alignment shiftbetween the box door and port door resulting from the loose tolerancerange necessitating the wobbly latch key design.

The box load interface system also comprises a port door translationmechanism that is operatively connected to the port door to advance itin a forward direction toward the port plate aperture to attach the portdoor to the box door and then retract it and the attached box door inreverse direction away from the box cover and through the port plateaperture. A port door elevator assembly operates in cooperation with theport door translation mechanism to move the port door in a directiongenerally parallel to the front surface of the port plate after the boxdoor has been moved away from the box cover and through the port plateaperture.

In a first embodiment, the port door translation mechanism and the portdoor elevator assembly are independent systems operating undercoordinated control of separate motor drive assemblies. In a secondembodiment, the port door translation mechanism and the port doorelevator assembly are combined as a unitary mechanism. The unitarymechanism is implemented with a pivot link structure operating undercontrol of a motor-driven lead screw mechanism to move the port doorsequentially in transverse directions of movement that are the same asthose accomplished by the translation mechanism and the elevatorassembly of the first embodiment.

The transport box holds a container in which multiple wafer specimensare stored in spaced-apart, stacked arrangement. The container has anopen front side from which the specimens are removed or into which thespecimens are inserted. The box load interface comprises a differentialoptical scanning assembly for detecting positions of the waferspecimens. The scanning assembly scans the wafer specimens in adirection parallel to a facial datum plane, which is defined as avertical plane that bisects the wafer specimens and is parallel to theopen front side where the wafer specimens are removed or inserted.Scanning assembly includes two spaced-apart, pivotally mounted scannerfingers that are operable to center and push back dislodged specimensbefore determining their orientations in the cassette.

A robot assembly is supported by a linear traveling assembly betweenadjacent port plate apertures for removing and inserting wafer specimensfrom the transport box. The linear traveling assembly includes a nutmechanism contained within a housing secured to a carriage that supportsthe robot assembly. The carriage travels along a lead screw between theport plate apertures and is driven by the nut mechanism that includes alead nut threadably engaged with the lead screw and rotated by a drivemotor through a belt and pulley arrangement.

Additional objects and advantages of this invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description of preferred embodimentsthereof, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 and 2 are respective front and rear perspective views of a wafertransport system in which a box load interface of the present inventionfor use in a FIMS system is implemented.

FIGS. 3A–3G show various views of a front-opening wafer carrier box andits components and features.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a front-opening carrier box positioned on theslidable tray mounted to the interface system shelf with its top coverremoved to show the slidable tray positioning mechanism components.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the front-opening carrier boxpositioned on the interface system as shown in FIG. 4 but with the sidecover of the interface system shelf removed.

FIG. 6 is a front side elevation view of the slidable tray and shelfwith the carrier box and front cover removed.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are plan and side elevation views of the carrier boxclamping feature shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged front elevation view of the box load interfacewith the sheet metal cover removed to show the elevator assembly.

FIG. 9 is a left side elevation view of the box load interface of FIG.8.

FIG. 10 is an exploded view and FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 11C are respectiveside, front, and rear elevation views of the latch key assembly.

FIG. 12 is a rear elevation view of the latch key motor mechanismmounted in the port door and the port door translation mechanism mountedon the interior surface of the front plate.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged rear elevation view of the latch key motormechanism shown in FIG. 12 and of the positioning mechanism for thewafer scanning assembly.

FIGS. 14 and 15 are respective plan and side elevation views of thewafer scanning assembly mounted on the port plate.

FIGS. 16A and 16B are diagrams showing the light beam paths of two setsof light emitters and light sensors.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a front elevation view of the placement ofa wafer cassette on a slidable tray (with the position of a properlyregistered semiconductor wafer shown in phantom) relative to the crossedbeam paths of the light emitters and light sensors shown in FIGS. 16Aand 16B.

FIG. 18 is a simplified block diagram showing the input signals to andoutput signals from a central control system that coordinates theoperations of the various components of the box load interface mechanismof the invention.

FIG. 19 is a side elevation view of a robot assembly mounted to a leadnut assembly.

FIG. 20 is a partial side elevation view of the opposite end of therobot assembly.

FIG. 21 is a plan view of the lead screw and lead nut assembly.

FIGS. 22–24 are respective left end, plan, and right end views of thelead nut assembly.

FIG. 25 is a top perspective view of a fluidic pressure controlledpivotable latch for securing a carrier box to the slidable tray.

FIG. 26 is an enlarged side elevation view of the pneumatic actuatingmechanism of the pivotable latch of FIG. 25 in its carrier box clampingposition.

FIG. 27 is a sectional view taken along lines 27—27 of FIG. 26.

FIG. 28 is an enlarged side elevation view of the pneumatic actuatingmechanism of the pivotable latch of FIG. 25 in a carrier boxnonclamping, retracted position.

FIG. 29 is a top plan view of a fluidic pressure controlled carrier boxbottom latch actuating mechanism.

FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view of a latch key rotation mechanism ofthe bottom latch actuating mechanism of FIG. 29.

FIG. 31 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a latch key raise/lowermechanism of the bottom latch actuating mechanism of FIG. 29.

FIG. 32 is a sectional view taken along lines 32—32 of FIG. 37, showinga latch key pull back assembly that is a modification of the latch keyassembly of FIGS. 9, 10, and 11A–11C.

FIG. 33 is a rear elevation view of a fluidic pressure controlled latchkey actuating mechanism.

FIG. 34 is a sectional view taken along lines 34—34 of FIG. 33.

FIG. 35 is a cross-sectional view of the port door of FIG. 33, showingcertain pneumatic control components of the latch key actuatingmechanism.

FIG. 36 is a sectional view taken along lines 36—36 of FIG. 33.

FIG. 37 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the latch key actuatingmechanism of FIG. 33.

FIGS. 38, 39, and 40 are side elevation views (with FIG. 38 shown partlyin cross section) of a four-bar carriage assembly of unitaryconstruction that combines the functions of the port door translationand port door carriage mechanisms shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 12.

FIG. 41 is a fragmentary front side elevation view showing thearrangement of the components of the four-bar carriage assembly mountedto the exterior surface of the front plate of the wafer transportsystem.

FIG. 42 is an enlarged fragmentary isometric view of a pair of bar linkspivotably attached to the right-hand side surfaces of the Z and linkcarriages shown in FIG. 41.

FIGS. 43 and 44 are enlarged fragmentary isometric views of a pair ofbar links pivotably attached to the left-hand side surfaces of the Z andlink carriages shown in FIG. 41.

FIG. 45 is a side elevation view of a vertical/horizontal port doordisplacement fluidic control counterbalance mechanism of the four-barcarriage assembly of FIGS. 38–44.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a wafer transport system 10 that has an assemblyframe 12 to which two front or port plates 14 are attached. Each frontplate 14 supports one of two substantially identical box load interfacesystems 16 for front-opening semiconductor wafer carrier boxes 18 and alinear traveling robot assembly 20 positioned to access the wafersstored in carrier boxes 18 after they have been opened. A right sideinterface system 16 is shown with a shelf 22 having a slidable tray 24supporting a carrier box 18; and a left side interface system 16 isshown partly disassembled without a carrier box 18, a shelf 22, and asheet metal cover 26 to show the components of an elevator assembly 28.

FIGS. 3A–3G show various views of carrier box 18 and its components andfeatures.

FIG. 3A shows carrier box 18 with its box door 30 removed to reveal inthe interior of carrier box 18 a wafer cassette 32 with slots spacedapart to accommodate 300 mm diameter semiconductor wafers. Carrier box18 has a recessed, stepped interior side margin 34 against which theperimeter of an interior surface 36 of box door 30 rests when carrierbox 18 is closed.

FIGS. 3B and 3C show, respectively, carrier box 18 closed with box door30 unlocked and interior surface 36 of box door 30 in its unlockedcondition; and FIGS. 3D and 3E show, respectively, carrier box 18 closedwith box door 30 locked and interior surface 36 of box door 30 in itslocked condition. FIG. 3C shows four locking slats 38 fully retracted sothat their end tabs 40 remain inside the interior of box door 30, andFIG. 3E shows locking slats 38 fully extended so that their end tabs 40extend outwardly of the top and bottom side margins of box door 30.

FIG. 3B shows end tabs 40 positioned outside of slots 42 located in theoutermost portion of recessed side margin 34 when box door 30 isunlocked, and FIG. 3D shows end tabs 40 fitted into slots 42 when boxdoor 30 is locked in place. FIGS. 3B and 3D also show two locator pindepressions 44 and two box lock actuating mechanism slots 46 required bythe SEMI specification for a FIMS box door.

FIGS. 3F and 3G show, respectively, a bottom surface 48 and a box frontretaining or clamping feature 50 on bottom surface 48 of a front-openingcarrier box 18. FIG. 3F also shows a center retaining feature 52, whichis an alternative to box front retaining feature 50 for securing carrierbox 18 in place on slidable tray 24. A preferred box 18 is a model F300wafer carrier manufactured by Integris, Inc., Chaska, Minn. Withreference to FIG. 3F, box 18 has on its bottom surface 48 five carriersensing pads 54, two advancing box sensing pads 56, a carrier capacity(number of wafers) sensing pad 58, a box or cassette information pad 60,and one each of front end of line (FEOL) and back end of line (BEOL)information pads 62 required under SEMI E47.1 (Mar. 5, 1998). (FIGS. 25and 29 show on slidable tray 24 four locations 63 corresponding to thelocations of pads 58, 60, and 62 on bottom surface 48 of box 18. FIG. 25shows a lockout pin 63 p placed in the location 63 corresponding to oneof the two tray information pads 62.) Three oblong, inwardly slopeddepressions in bottom surface 48 form kinematic pin receiving features64 that mate with kinematic coupling pins 66 (FIG. 4) fixed incorresponding locations on slidable tray 24 when box 18 is properlyinstalled. Kinematic coupling pins 66 preferably have threaded stemportions that engage threaded holes in slidable tray 24 so that shimscan be used as a height adjustment for kinematic coupling pins 66 andthereby facilitate proper alignment of box 18. When box 18 is placed inproper alignment on slidable tray 24, sensing pads 54 and 58 andinformation pads 60 and 62 contact switches mounted in correspondingpositions on slidable tray 24 and advancing box sensing pads 56 contactswitches mounted in corresponding positions on shelf 22.

With reference to FIGS. 3F and 3G, a depression 68 partly covered by aprojection 70 having a beveled surface 72 forms front retaining orclamping feature 50. Beveled surface 72 provides a ramp along which awheel or roller can roll up while tray 24 slides box 18 toward anaperture 74 in front plate 14 to mate with a port door 76 (FIGS. 4, 5,8, 9, 12, and 13) secured to an interior surface 78 of front plate 14.

FIGS. 4, 5, 6, 7A, and 7B show carrier box 18 placed on slidable tray 24with portions shown in phantom lines to indicate the operation of aslidable tray positioning mechanism 88. With particular reference toFIGS. 4 and 6, slidable tray 24 has a bottom surface 90 to which twoU-shaped guide rails 92 are fixed by bolts 94. Guide rails 92 extendnear the side margins of slidable tray 24 in a direction perpendicularto an exterior surface 96 of front plate 14. Two guide tracks 98 arebolted to shelf 22 in positions to receive guide rails 92 so thatslidable tray 24 can move in a direction toward and away from exteriorsurface 96 of front plate 14 in response to the operation of traypositioning mechanism 88.

Tray positioning mechanism 88 is mounted to shelf 22 and includes a traymotor 100 from which a shaft 102 extends to a coupler 104 thatoperatively joins shaft 102 to rotate a lead screw 106 that passesthrough a nut assembly 108. Lead screw 106 has an axis 110 and issupported at a proximal end in a tail bearing 112 and at a distal end ina preloaded bearing 114. Nut assembly 108 is fixed to bottom surface 90of slidable tray 24 to move it in a direction along lead screw axis 110.

Slidable tray 24 has in its bottom side an open region 120 into whichtwo support members 122 extend in a direction parallel to tray bottomsurface 90 to hold at their ends a push pin 124 carrying a cylindricalroller bearing 126. A first embodiment of a pivotable latch 130 includesa clamping finger 132 mounted to a pivot pin 134 supported between pivotmounting blocks 136 that extend upright from shelf 22 and through openregion 120 of tray 24. Clamping finger 132 has a recessed area 138 thatforms a first contact surface 140 and a second contact surface 142 thatare angularly offset from each other and a hooked end 144 to which acylindrical roller bearing 146 is mounted. Push pin 124 is set in aposition to contact first and second contact surfaces 140 and 142 asslidable tray 24 moves in response to the operation of tray positioningmechanism 88 so as to, respectively, engage clamping feature 50 with anddisengage clamping feature 50 from hooked end 144 of clamping finger 132in accordance with the following operational sequence.

Whenever carrier box 18 is to be positioned against front plate 14 tomate box door 30 with port door 76, tray motor 100 rotates lead screw106 in a first lead screw rotational sense to advance nut assembly 108and thereby translate slidable tray 24 along shelf 22 in a directiontoward front plate 14. This movement of slidable tray 24 causes rollerbearing 126 to contact first contact surface 140 and as a consequencecause clamping finger 132 to rotate about pivot pin 134. As slidabletray 24 continues to advance toward front plate 14, clamping finger 132continuously rotates in a first clamping finger rotational sense so thathooked end 144 rolls up beveled surface 72 and fits within box clampingfeature 50 and so that roller bearing 126 fits within recessed area 138.The distances separating roller bearing 126, pivot pin 134, and frontplate 14 are set so that box door 30 mates with port door 76, and afront side margin 148 (FIG. 3A) of carrier box 18 is in a sealingrelationship with exterior surface 96 of front plate 14 when hooked end144 fully engages clamping feature 50. Full engagement of clampingfeature 50 urges carrier box 18 against kinematic coupling pins 66 sothat it is not dislodged when latch keys 150 extending from port door 76unlock and remove box door 30.

Whenever carrier box 18 is to be retracted from front plate 14 after boxdoor 30 has separated from port door 76 and sealed carrier box 18, traymotor 100 rotates lead screw 106 in a second lead screw rotational sensethat is opposite to the first lead screw rotational sense to retract nutassembly 108 and thereby translate slidable tray 24 along shelf 22 in adirection away from front plate 14. This movement of slidable tray 24causes roller bearing 126 to roll out of recessed area 138 and contactsecond contact surface 142 and as a consequence cause clamping finger132 to rotate about pivot pin 134. As slidable tray 24 continues toretract from front plate 14, clamping finger 132 continually rotates ina second clamping finger rotational sense that is opposite to the firstclamping finger rotational sense so that its hooked end 144 rolls downbeveled surface 72 and separates from box clamping feature 50. Fulldisengagement of clamping feature 50 releases the urging force appliedto carrier box 18 against kinematic coupling pins 66 so that carrier box18 and its contents (one semiconductor wafer 152 shown in FIG. 4) can beremoved from slidable tray 24.

A second embodiment of a pivotable latch 153 is shown in FIGS. 25–28.Unlike pivotable latch 130, pivotable latch 153 is supported on slidabletray 24 (instead of shelf 22) and is actuated by a pneumatic cylinder154, instead of by push pin 124 as slidable tray 24 slides along guiderails 92.

With particular reference to FIGS. 25 and 27, pivotable latch 153includes a clamping finger 155 mounted to a pivot pin 134′ fixed betweensidewalls 156 a and 156 b of a rectangular, open interior mounting block156 extending upright from slidable tray 24. Clamping finger 155 is ofsimilar construction to that of clamping finger 132, except for theomission of recessed area 138. Components of clamping finger 155corresponding to those of clamping finger 132 are identified by the samereference numerals followed by primes. Clamping finger 155 has a hookedend 144′ to which a cylindrical roller bearing 146′ is mounted and adrive pivot pin 155 d offset from pivot pin 134′ and projecting from oneside of clamping finger 155. Clamping finger 155 pivotally moves withinthe interior space of mounting block 156 so that hooked end 144′projects upwardly outside of and recedes within the interior spacebounded by the top surfaces of sidewalls 156 a and 156 b when hooked end144′, respectively, engages and disengages box clamping feature 50. FIG.28 shows clamping finger 155 in its fully upward position (in phantomlines) and in a downward position (in solid lines).

With particular reference to FIGS. 26 and 28, pivotable latch 153includes a first or top drive link 157 and a second or bottom drive link158. Top drive link 157 has an upper end 157 u pivotally connected todrive pivot pin 155 d, and bottom drive link 158 has a lower end 158 lpivotally connected to a stationary pivot pin 155 s fixed insidesidewall 156 b. A lower end 157 l and an upper end 158 u of therespective top and bottom drive links 157 and 158 are pivotallyconnected to a common pivot pin 155 c fixed in a distal end of anextensible rod 154 r of pneumatic cylinder 154. Pneumatic cylinder 154has a body portion 154 b into and out from which extensible rod 154 rmoves and which is fixed to slidable tray 24. Drive pivot pin 155 d andcommon pivot pin 155 c move between their respective positions shown inFIGS. 26 and 28 as extensible rod 154 r moves between its fully extendedand fully retracted positions. Pneumatic cylinder body portion 154 bincludes a cylinder rod extension gas inlet 154 ei and a cylinder rodretraction inlet 154 ri to which gas conduits selectively deliverpressurized gas delivered by a switchable gas flow valve to,respectively, engage clamping feature 50 with and disengage clampingfeature 50 from hooked end 144′ of clamping finger 155 in accordancewith the following operational sequence.

Whenever carrier box 18 is to be positioned against front plate 14 tomate box door 30 with port door 76, a user by means of software controlactuates a solenoid valve 159, which in response delivers pressurizedgas to cylinder rod extension inlet 154 ei and, as a consequence, causesclamping finger 155 to rotate about pivot pin 134′. As extensible rod154 r increases its length of extension from body portion 154 b,clamping finger 155 continuously rotates in a first clamping fingerrotational sense (counter-clockwise) so that hooked end 144′ rolls upbeveled surface 72 and fits within clamping feature 50 so that top link157 and bottom link 158 form between themselves an obtuse included anglethat causes an over-center alignment that ensures positive lockingaction in the clamped position (FIG. 26). The distances separatingcommon pivot pin 155 c in full extension of extensible rod 154 r, pivotpin 134′, and front plate 14 are set so that box door 30 mates with portdoor 76, and front side margin 148 (FIG. 3A) of carrier box 18 is in asealing relationship with exterior surface 96 of front plate 14 whenhooked end 144′ fully engages clamping feature 50. Full disengagement ofclamping feature 50 urges carrier box 18 against kinematic coupling pins66 so that it is not dislodged when latch keys 150 extending from portdoor 76 unlock and remove box door 30. Tray motor 100 then rotates leadscrew 106 in a first lead screw rotational sense to advance nut assembly108 and thereby translate slidable tray 24 along shelf 22 in a directiontoward front plate 14.

Whenever carrier box 18 is to be retracted from front plate 14 after boxdoor 30 has separated from port door 76 and sealed carrier box 18, traymotor 100 rotates lead screw 106 in a second lead screw rotational sensethat is opposite to the first lead screw rotational sense to retract nutassembly 108 and thereby translate slidable tray 24 along shelf 22 in adirection away from front plate 14. After carrier box 18 reaches itsfully retracted position, the user again by means of software controlactuates solenoid valve 159, which in response delivers pressurized gasto cylinder rod retraction inlet 154 ri and, as a consequence, causesclamping finger 155 to rotate about pivot pin 134′. As extensible rod154 r decreases its length of extension from body portion 154 b,clamping finger 155 continually rotates in a second clamping fingerrotational sense that is opposite to (clockwise) the first clampingfinger rotational sense so that its hooked end 144′ rolls down beveledsurface 72 and separates from box clamping feature 50. Full engagementof clamping feature 50 releases the urging force applied to carrier box18 against kinematic coupling pins 66 so that carrier box 18 and itscontents (one semiconductor wafer 152 shown in FIG. 4) can be removedfrom slidable tray 24.

A third embodiment of a fluidic pressure controlled bottom latchactuating mechanism 900 is shown in FIGS. 29, 30, and 31. Bottom latchactuating mechanism 900 rotates a bottom latch key 902 between first andsecond angular positions to latch and unlatch center retaining feature52 (FIG. 3F) of carrier box 18 and thereby hold down carrier box 18against and release carrier box 18 from slidable tray 24. Centerretaining feature 52 formed in carrier box bottom surface 48 includes arecessed area covered by a top piece having a slot opening of sufficientsize to receive a latch key inserted in one angular position and toretain the inserted latch key in another angular position. Likepivotable latch 153, bottom latch actuating mechanism 900 is supportedon slidable tray 24; but unlike pivotable latch 153, bottom latchactuating mechanism 900 does not include a pivotable latch having aclamping finger that engages box clamping feature 50. As shown in FIG.29, bottom latch actuating mechanism 900 fits within a recessed area onan interior bottom surface 901 of slidable tray 24. Bottom latchactuating mechanism 900 includes a latch key rotation mechanism 904 anda latch key raise/lower mechanism 906.

Latch key rotation mechanism 904 is comprised of two pneumatic cylinders908 and 910 having respective extensible rods 912 and 914 that areconnected to different free ends of a timing belt 916. Timing belt 916engages a timing pulley 918 to which latch key 902 is attached.Pneumatic cylinders 908 and 910 are contained by a common housing 920,which is fixed to slidable tray 24 by bolts or other fasteners. Solenoidvalves 922 and 924 deliver pressurized gas to gas inlet ports 926 and927 of the respective pneumatic cylinders 908 and 910 to operate them inpush-pull fashion to rotate timing pulley 918 and thereby turn latch key902 between the first and second angular positions, which are preferablyangularly displaced by 90 degrees. FIG. 29 shows latch key 902 in itsopen (unlatched) position.

Latch key raise/lower mechanism 906 is comprised of a pneumaticpolygonal piston 928, the outer surface of which is preferably ofoctagonal shape that mates with complementary inner surface features oftiming pulley 918, as shown in FIG. 30. Solenoid valves 930 and 932(positioned beneath the respective solenoid valves 922 and 924 in FIG.29) deliver pressurized gas to respective gas inlet/outlet ports 934 and936 mounted to an inlet housing 938 to selectively raise and lowerpolygonal piston 928 and thereby raise and lower latch key 902. Acentral control system 349 coordinates the operation of solenoid valves922, 924, 930, and 932 to turn latch key 902 between the first (latched)and second (unlatched) angular positions when latch key 902 is presentwithin center retaining feature 52 and turn latch key 902 to its second(unlatched) angular position to insert latch key 902 into or removelatch key 902 from center retaining feature 52. Latch key 902 in itslower position is set sufficiently low to provide clearance toaccommodate an approximately 10 mm side-to-side misalignment tolerancefor carrier box 18 during its initial positioning on slidable tray 24.

FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view of latch key rotation mechanism 904.With reference to FIG. 30, pneumatic cylinders 908 and 910 are (with oneexception noted below) of the same structural design; therefore, thefollowing description of their components and construction is directedonly to pneumatic cylinder 908. Pneumatic cylinder 908 includes aninterior chamber 940 that is enclosed by a bushing 942 at one end and anend cap 944 at the other end. A piston 946 pushes against an interiorend of extensible rod 912, and a free end of extensible rod 912 extendsthrough bushing 942 and outside of interior chamber 940 by a length ofextension determined by the position of piston 946 in interior chamber940. A return coil spring 948 s having a relatively large springconstant and positioned between bushing 942 and piston 946 of pneumaticcylinder 908 biases extensible rod 912 to retract into interior chamber940 in the absence of pressurized gas. A return coil spring 948 w havinga relatively weak spring constant and positioned between bushing 942 andpiston 946 of pneumatic cylinder 910 takes up the slack in timing belt916 when extensible rod 912 of pneumatic cylinder 908 is in its fullyretracted position to unlatch latch key 902 from center retainingfeature 52 in the absence of pressurized gas. A bumper 950 fitted withina recess in piston 946 rests against an end 952 of an adjustment screw954 secured against end cap 944 by a locking plate 956. Adjustment screw954 sets the minimum length of extension of the free end of extensiblerod 912 in response to the force applied to piston 946 by return coilspring 948 s.

FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view of latch key raise/lower mechanism 906showing bottom latch key 902 in its raised position (solid lines) andlowered position (phantom lines). With reference to FIG. 31, latch key902 includes a shaft 960 supported within a central opening 961 partlyof octagonal shape and extending along the length of polygonal piston928 by an upper bushing 962 and a lower bushing 964 held in place byrespective retainer rings 966 and 968. Shaft 960 is secured to polygonalpiston 928 by a retainer ring 970. Polygonal piston 928 moves in thedirection of the length of shaft 960 in a cavity 972 formed withincentral opening 961 between circular end-of-travel cushions 974 and 976positioned against the interior faces of the respective retainer rings966 and 968. Pressurized gas introduced by way of gas inlet/outlet ports934 and 936 into cavity 972 moves polygonal piston 928 in the mannerdescribed below.

A seal 978 fitted within a recess in the outer surface of polygonalpiston 928 and a seal 980 positioned between shaft 960 and polygonalpiston 928 ensure gas tight separation of the regions in cavity 972 oneither an upper face 928 u or a lower face 928 l of polygonal piston928. Seals 982 positioned between timing pulley 918 and upper bushing962 and between gas inlet housing 938 and lower bushing 964 ensure thatcavity 972 remains gas tight.

With reference to FIGS. 29, 30, and 31, latch key rotation mechanism 904rotates latch key 902 between the first (latched) and second (unlatched)angular positions by alternate delivery of pressurized gas to gas inletports 926 and 927 of pneumatic cylinders 908 and 910. Extensible rods912 and 914 alternately extend from and retract into the respectivepneumatic cylinders 908 and 910 in response to the delivery ofpressurized gas and thereby impart reciprocating motion to timing belt916. Timing pulley 918, which is journaled for rotation in an upperbearing assembly 986 and a lower bearing assembly 988 that are fixed inslidable tray 24, rotates back and forth between the first and secondangular positions in response to the reciprocating motion of timing belt916. Lower bearing assembly 988 is positioned closer than upper bearingassembly 986 to shaft 960 to provide clearance for timing belt 916. Aninner clamp 990 and an outer clamp 992 hold upper bearing assembly 986within slidable tray 24 and thereby contain within slidable tray 24 themovable components associated with latch key 902. A rotary seal 994positioned between shaft 960 and upper bushing 962 forms a gas tightseal for the top end of cavity 972. Rotary seals 994 positioned betweenshaft 960 and lower bushing 964 and between inlet housing 938 and timingpulley 918 form a gas tight seal for the bottom end of cavity 972.

With reference to FIG. 31, latch key raise/lower mechanism 906 moveslatch key 902 up and down by alternate delivery of pressurized gas toeither upper face 928 u or lower face 928 l of polygonal piston 928.Solenoid valves 930 and 932 deliver pressurized gas to gas inlet/outletports 934 and 936 of inlet housing 938. Inlet port 934 is connected toan internal passageway 996 within inlet housing 938 to deliverpressurized gas to lower face 928 l of polygonal piston 928. Inlet port936 is connected to an internal passageway 997 below lower bushing 964within inlet housing 938 that communicates with a hole 998 drilled alongthe length of shaft 960 and terminating in a transverse hole 999 throughshaft 960 to deliver pressurized gas to upper face 928 u of polygonalpiston 928.

Polygonal piston 928 responds to sequential delivery of pressurized gasby alternate upward and downward movement within cavity 972 and therebycorresponding upward and downward movement of latch key 902, shaft 960of which is attached to polygonal piston 928 by retainer ring 970.Skilled persons will appreciate that each of inlet ports 934 and 936serves as an exhaust port for the other when it is deliveringpressurized gas to cavity 972.

Optical interrupter devices of a type similar to optical interrupterdevices 248 and 249 used as sector control end of travel switches can beimplemented in latch key rotation mechanism 904 or latch key raise/lowermechanism 906 to detect latch key 902 in, respectively, either of itslatched or unlatched angular positions or either of its raised orlowered positions.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are respective front and side elevation views of box loadinterface system 16 showing the spatial relationship of port door 76 andother system components when port door 76 is in a fully elevatedposition in which it is aligned with and can fit within aperture 74 offront plate 14. With reference to FIG. 8, port door 76 has a frontsurface 160 on which two locating pins 162 are positioned to mate withlocator pin depressions 44 (FIGS. 3B and 3D) in box door 30 when it andport door 76 are brought into contact by the operation of traypositioning mechanism 88. A box presence switch 164 may optionally bepositioned below each locating pin 162 to provide an electrical signalindicating that box door 30 is properly registered with port door 76when they are in matable connection. Two pod door latch key assemblies166 are rotatably positioned within port door 76. Latch key assemblies166 include laterally compliant latch keys 150 extending through frontsurface 160 to fit into spatially aligned slots 46 (FIGS. 3B and 3D) inbox door 30 to operate its latching mechanism.

FIG. 10 is an exploded view and FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 11C are respectiveside (partly in section), front, and rear elevation views of latch keyassembly 166. With reference to FIGS. 10, 11A, and 11C, latch keyassembly 166 includes a latch key housing 168 that fits within and issecured by bolts passing through counterbored bolt holes 170 to acomponent of either a latch key motor mechanism 172 (FIGS. 12 and 13) ora fluidic pressure controlled latch key actuating mechanism 242 (FIGS.33–37) positioned behind front surface 160 of and within port door 76.Latch key housing 168 is of cylindrical shape having a neck portion 174and a base portion 176 of greater diameter. A latch key body 178 haspositioned at one end a latch key 150 connected to a shaft that includesconcatenated cylindrical portions 180, 182, and 184 of differentdiameters. Cylindrical portion 184 has located between its ends ahexagonal section 186. Latch key housing 168 has a centrally locatedstepped bore 188 that receives latch key body 178 and includes ahexagonal section 190 of complementary shape to the shape of and of thesame length as the length of hexagonal section 186. Neck portion 174 andcylindrical portion 180 are of the same diameter so that they abut eachother, and the width (i.e., the distance between opposite sides) ofhexagonal section 190 is slightly larger than the width (i.e., distancebetween opposite faces) of hexagonal section 186 to permit lateralmotion of latch key body 178 within latch key housing 168. A coil spring192 fitted within a counterbored region 194 in latch key housing 168 anda clip ring 196 fitted around an annular recess 198 in cylindricalportion 184 holds latch key assembly 166 together as a single unit.

Latch key housing 168 and latch key body 178 are provided withrespective complementary hexagonal sections 190 and 186 to preventmutual rotation between them. Both latch key assemblies 166 are rotatedbetween first and second angular positions to open and close box door30. The widths of hexagonal sections 190 and 186 are slightly differentto form a compliant latch key 150 that can “wobble” laterally toaccommodate the tolerance range of the corresponding slot 46 in box door30 and thereby ensure proper alignment to it.

With reference again to FIG. 9, port door 76 is shown in matableconnection with box door 30, with latch key 150 turned in secureposition within box door slot 46. Each latch key housing 168 carries onits neck portion 174 a bearing 210 that is supported on an interiorsurface 212 of port door 76.

Once box door 30 is unlocked, latch keys 150 remain in box door slots 46and port door 76, while holding box door 30, moves away from carrier box18. Box door 30 is supported on port door 76 only by latch keys 150. Theloose range of tolerances of the dimensions of box door slots 46 and thedesign of latch keys 150 allowing them to “wobble” make box door 30susceptible under its own weight to slippage against front surface 160of port door 76. This change in the initial alignment between box door30 and front plate 14 makes it difficult when re-installing box door 30to fit its interior surface 36 within the recessed, stepped interiorside margin 34 of carrier box 18.

To prevent box door 30 from slipping out of its initial mutual alignmentwith port door 76, an alternative embodiment of latch key assembly 166includes a latch key pull back assembly 199, which is shown in FIGS. 32and 34. Latch key pull back assembly 199 pulls box door 30 into a tightrelationship with front surface 160 of port door 76 to preserve theirinitial mutual alignment. Each latch key 150 is non-rotatably mountedwithin latch key housing 168 through hexagonal sections 186 and 190,thereby allowing latch key 150 to “wobble” as previously described toaccommodate a range of tolerances of box door slots 46. Cylindricalportion 184 of latch key body 178 and centrally located stepped bore 188of latch key housing 168 are modified to accommodate a piston 200 thatimplements the pull back function of pull back assembly 199.

With reference to FIGS. 32 and 34, a piston 200 encircled by an annularseal 201 is secured to a latch key body 178′ by screw threads or anothersuitable attachment method. Piston 200 is slidably movable within ahousing 168′ to move latch key 150 in either direction along alongitudinal axis 178 a′ of latch key body 178′. Piston 200 is driven bypressurized gas, such as air, supplied to a drive chamber 202 that isformed between an upper bushing 202 a and a lower bushing 202 b andsealed gas tight by seals 203 a and 203 b. Pressurized gas is suppliedto drive chamber 202 from a pressurized gas supply (not shown) through agas supply line 204 connected to a supply housing 205 having a gaspassageway 205 a. Passageway 205 a communicates with intersecting ports206 a and 206 b in latch key body 178′, which extends through housing168′ and into supply housing 205 through lower bushing 202 b and seal203 b. Port 206 a is a hole formed along longitudinal axis 178 a′ oflatch key body 178′, and port 206 b is a hole formed in latch key body178′ to intersection port 206 a in a transverse direction. Port 206 bopens up into drive chamber 202 to supply pressurized gas that acts onthe face of piston 200 to drive it in a direction to pull box door 30against front surface 160 of and into a tight relationship with portdoor 76 whenever latch key 150 is in its secure position within box doorslot 46.

A return chamber 208 is located on the opposite side of piston 200 wherea return coil spring 209 is positioned around latch key body 178′ tourge piston 200 and thereby extend latch key 150 to their originalpositions to permit release of box door 30.

In operation, after each latch key 150 has been rotated to unlock boxdoor 30, pressurized gas is supplied to drive chamber 202 throughpassageway 205 and gas inlet ports 206 a and 206 b. The pressurized gasacts on the face of piston 200, causing it to move against return spring209 to retract latch key 150 and thereby draw box door 30 into firm andsecure engagement with port door 76. One of two embodiments of a portdoor translation mechanism described below moves port door 76 togetherwith box door 30 away from carrier box 18 to open it.

When box door 30 is ready to be re-installed to close carrier box 18,the port door translation mechanism moves port door 76 toward carrierbox 18 and box door 30 in alignment with it. Each latch key insertedinto a box door slot 46 is rotated to lock box door 30 on carrier box18, and pressurized gas is then released from drive chamber 202 throughgas inlet ports 206 a and 206 b and passageway 205. Return spring 209acts in response to the release of pressurized gas to push against theopposite face of piston 200 to return latch key 150 to its original,extended position. The port door translation mechanism can then retractport door 76 away from box door 30 and thereby withdraw latch keys 150out of box door slots 46 to completely separate port door 76 from aclosed carrier box 18. Skilled persons will appreciate that latch keypull back assembly 199 can be advantageously used in a latch keyassembly implemented in the absence of the “wobble” design feature.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show latch key motor mechanism 172, which rotates latchkeys 150 between the first and second angular positions to lock andunlock box door 30 of carrier box 18. With reference to FIGS. 12 and 13,base portion 176 of one latch key housing 168 is fixed to a master diskmember 214 by bolts 216 engaging tapped bolt holes 170, and base portion176 of the other latch key housing 168 is fixed to a slave disk member218 by bolts 220 engaging tapped bolt holes 170. Disk members 214 and218 and therefore their corresponding latch keys 150 are mounted forrotation about respective axes 222 and 224. Master disk member 214includes a worm gear section 226 having worm gear teeth 228 with which aworm gear shaft 230 driven at one end by a motor 232 and terminated atthe other end in a bearing 234 engages to move disk member 214 andthereby its corresponding latch key 150 about axis 222 between the firstand second angular positions. The operation of motor 232 is controlledto provide a 90° displacement between the first and second angularpositions.

An elongated coupling or rod member 236 of adjustable length is mountedat its proximal end to disk member 214 for pivotal movement about afirst rod pivot axis 238 and at its distal end to disk member 218 forpivotal movement about a second rod pivot axis 240. Rod member 236 iscomposed of a spherical joint 236 a and a turnbuckle portion 236 bcoupled at each of its ends by locknuts 236 c that after rotaryadjustment fix the length of rod member 236. Disk member 218 is slavedto the motion of disk member 214 and thereby moves its correspondinglatch key 150 about axis 224 between the first and second angularpositions. Spherical joint 236 a facilitates the length adjustment ofrod member 236 without disassembly by rotation of turnbuckle portion 236b but is otherwise not needed to practice the invention.

FIGS. 33–37 show a fluidic pressure controlled latch key actuatingmechanism 242, which represents an alternative to latch key motormechanism 172 and is shown implemented for use with latch key pull backassembly 199. As does motor mechanism 172, actuating mechanism 242rotates latch keys 150 between the first and second angular positions tolock and unlock box door 30 of carrier box 18.

With reference to FIGS. 33–37, base portion 176 of one latch key housing168′ is fixed to a disk member 214 by bolts 216 engaging tapped boltholes 170, and base portion 176 of the other latch key housing 168 isfixed to a disk member 218 by bolts 220 engaging tapped bolt holes 170.Disk members 214 and 218 and therefore their corresponding latch keys150 are mounted for rotation about respective axes 222 and 224. Each ofdisk members 214 and 218 functions as a lever arm that has a couplingend 243 and an opposite end with a protruding vane 244. Coupling end 243provides a pivot mounting for a cylinder attachment block 245 that isconnected to the distal end of an extensible rod 246 of a pneumaticcylinder 247. Vane 244 extends from each of disk members 214 and 218 formovement between emitter and sensor legs of respective U-shapedtransmissive optical interrupter devices 248 and 249 angularly displacedby 90° on and mounted to port door 76. The presence of vane 244 ineither of optical interrupter devices 248 and 249 causes them tofunction as sector control end of travel switches that indicate whethereither of latch keys 150 is in the first or second angular position. Thelengths of extension of each extensible rod 246 between the first andsecond angular positions is set by hard stop blocks (not shown)positioned in port door 76 to limit the ranges of angular displacementof disk members 214 and 218. Bumpers made of Delrin® or other suitablematerial fixed to disk members 214 and 218 can be of selectedthicknesses to provide an adjustment of the extent of travel ofextensible rods 246. Each pneumatic cylinder 247 controls, therefore, akey latch mechanism operating as a “bang-bang” device between twoangular positions and using end point detection.

Extensible rods 246 move disk members 214 and 218 and thereby rotatetheir corresponding latch keys 150 about the respective axes 222 and 224between the first and second angular positions. The position and lengthof extension of each extensible rod 246 provides a 90° displacementbetween the first and second angular positions.

With particular reference to FIG. 33, a pneumatic pressure controlsystem 600 selectively delivers pressurized gas to each pneumaticcylinder 247 in response to latch key position commands provided bycentral control system 349 (FIG. 18). The presence of vane 244 in acorresponding one of optical interrupter devices 248 and 249 provides tocentral control system 349 initial condition information about theposition of each latch key 150. Pressure control system 600 includes agas supply line that delivers gas from a pressurized gas source (notshown) to an inlet port 604 of a two-outlet port solenoid valve 606 thatcontrols the operation of pneumatic cylinders 247 and an inlet port 608of a single-outlet port solenoid valve 610 that controls the operationof latch key pull back assembly 199.

Solenoid valve 606 has outlet ports 620 and 622 that deliver pressurizedgas through separate conduits to, respectively, an inlet port 624 of afluid flow divider 626 and an inlet port 628 of a fluid flow divider630. Flow divider 626 has two outlet ports, each connecting through aseparate conduit to a cylinder rod extension inlet 632 of a differentone of pneumatic cylinders 247. Flow divider 630 similarly has twooutlet ports, each connecting through a separate conduit to a cylinderrod retraction inlet 634 of a different one of pneumatic cylinders 247.A command signal provided by central control system 349 to an electricalconductor 636 selectively controls the flow path of pressurized gas frominlet port 604 to one of outlet ports 620 and 622 to either extend orretract extensible rods 246 and thereby rotate latch keys 150 betweentheir first and second angular positions. Solenoid valve 606 has gasexhaust ports 638 and 640 corresponding to the gas flow paths producedby the respective outlet ports 620 and 622 to which conduits areconnected to release exhaust gases away from the enclosed, cleanenvironmental housing.

Solenoid valve 610 has an outlet port 650 that delivers pressurized gasto an inlet port 652 of a fluid flow divider 654, which has two outletports, each connecting through a separate conduit to gas supply line 204of a different one of latch key pull back assemblies 199. A commandsignal provided by central control system 349 to an electrical conductor658 delivers the flow of pressurized gas from inlet port 608 to outletport 650 to retract latch keys 150 after they have fit into slots 46 ofand opened box door 30 so that it and port door 76 are in secure matableconnection. Solenoid valve 610 has a gas exhaust port 660 correspondingto the gas flow path produced by outlet port 650 to which a conduit isconnected to release exhaust gases away from the enclosed, cleanenvironmental housing.

FIGS. 8, 9, and 12 show a port door translation mechanism 250 mounted toa port door carriage mechanism 252 to which elevator assembly 28 isoperatively connected. Port door 76 has guide tracks 254 that slidealong guide rails 256 on port door carriage mechanism 252 so that it canmove port door 76 toward or away from interior surface 78 of front plate14 when port door 76 is aligned with aperture 74.

Port door 76 includes an upper rectangular section 258 that houses latchkey motor mechanism 172 and a lower rectangular section 260 that housesport door translation mechanism 250. Upper section 258 of port door 76includes a stepped region 262 of a height that defines a surface portion264 and causes port door 76 to form a sealed connection against interiorsurface 78 of front plate 14 as surface portion 264 fits within aperture74 to present latch keys 150 to mate with slots 46 in box door 30. Lowersection 260 of port door 76 supports a motor 270 coupled to a spindle272 and a lead screw 274 connected at one end to a pulley 276 andsupported at the other end in a preloaded bearing 278. A belt 280connecting spindle 272 to pulley 276 causes lead screw 274 to rotate anddrive a nut assembly 282 to cause port door 76 to slide along guiderails 256 toward or away from interior surface 78, depending on thedirection of lead screw rotation.

Because surface portion 264 is sized to fit within aperture 74, motor270 is not operated unless elevator assembly 28 has moved port doorcarriage mechanism 252 to its uppermost position. Elevator assembly 28moves port door carriage mechanism 252 to its lowermost position afterport door translation mechanism 250 has moved port door 76 completelyaway from interior surface 78 of front plate 14.

FIGS. 13, 14, and 15 show respective rear elevation, plan, and sideelevation views of a differential, transmissive optical scanningassembly 290 mounted within the interior and in a recess near the topside of port door 76. Scanning assembly 290, which operates inconjunction with elevator assembly 28, includes two scanning fingers 292l and 292 r, the former having a finger shaft 294 l mounted for pivotalmovement in a bearing 296 l about a finger pivot axis 298 l at aproximal end 300 l and the latter having a finger shaft 294 r mountedfor pivotal movement in a bearing 296 r about a finger pivot axis 298 rat a proximal end 300 r. Scanning finger 292 l supports light sensors306 a and 308 a positioned one on top of the other at a distal end 309l. Scanning finger 292 r supports light emitters 306 b and 308 bpositioned one on top of the other at a distal end 309 r. A lightpropagation path 310 between light sensor 306 a and light emitter 306 band a light propagation path 312 between light sensor 308 a and lightemitter 308 b are coplanar in a direction normal to the major surface ofwafer 152. Light propagation paths 310 and 312 cross over at a point 314(FIG. 17) in the plane.

A scanner motor 320 mounted within port door 76 includes a central shaft322 having an axis of rotation 324 set at an equidistant positionbetween finger pivot axes 298 l and 298 r. Central shaft 322 carries adisk member 326 to which are mounted two stationary pins 328 and 330angularly spaced apart from each other to carry out the functiondescribed below. A rod member 322 l is mounted at a proximal end to pin328 on disk member 326 for pivotal movement about a rod proximal pivotaxis 334 l and at its distal end to a coupling recess mount 336 l infinger shaft 294 l for pivotal movement about a rod distal pivot axis338 l. A rod member 322 r is mounted at a proximal end to pin 330 ondisk member 326 for pivotal movement about a rod proximal pivot axis 334r and at its distal end to a coupling recess mount 336 r in finger shaft294 r for pivotal movement about a rod distal point pivot axis 338 r.

Scanner motor 320 imparts ±45° reciprocal motion to central shaft 322and pins 328 and 330 are angularly spaced apart on disk member 326 topivotally move scanning fingers 292 l and 292 r between fully extendedpositions (shown in solid lines in FIG. 14) and fully retractedpositions (shown in phantom lines in FIG. 14). Thus, scanning fingers292 l and 292 r move 90° about their respective finger pivot axes 298 land 298 r between the fully extended and fully retracted positions.Skilled persons will appreciate that the extension and retraction ofscanning fingers 292 l and 292 r can also be accomplished with the useof fluidic cylinders.

FIG. 14 shows that the respective distal ends 309 l and 309 r ofscanning fingers 292 l and 292 r in their fully extended positionsstraddle wafers 152 stored in wafer cassette 32 and that lightpropagation paths 310 and 312 intersect a chord of each of wafers 152 asthey are scanned.

When they are fully extended, sensors 306 a and 308 a and emitters 306 band 308 b are located inside of the region where a wafer carrier box 18would occupy and are aligned to form two light propagation paths 310 and312 that cross each other. The presence of a wafer 152 aligned tointersect one or both light propagation paths 310 and 312 interruptslight propagating from one or both of emitters 306 b and 308 b fromreaching its corresponding sensor 306 a and 308 a. Thus, interruption ofone or both of light propagation paths 310 and 312 provides informationthat can be used to position robot assembly 20 for wafer pickup or todetermine the presence or absence of a wafer 152 in a slot in wafercassette 32, whether two wafers 152 occupy the same slot in wafercassette 32, or whether a wafer 152 occupies two slots (i.e., in a crossslot position) in wafer cassette 32. The mounting configuration andoperation of light sensors 306 a and 308 a and emitters 306 b and 308 bare described below with particular reference to FIGS. 16A and 16B.

FIG. 16A shows in greatly enlarged detail a diagram of the placement ofsensor 308 a and emitter 308 b in the respective scanning fingers 292 land 292 r, and FIG. 16B shows in greatly enlarged detail a diagram ofthe placement of sensor 306 a and emitter 306 b in the respectivescanning fingers 292 l and 292 r. With reference to FIGS. 16A and 16B,sensor 306 a and emitter 306 b are secured within the respectivescanning fingers 292 l and 292 r in slightly upwardly beveled mountingsurface areas that provide a straight line light propagation path 310inclined at a +0.75° angle relative to the plane of the top surfaces ofscanning fingers 292 l and 292 r. Sensor 308 a and emitter 308 b aresecured within the respective scanning fingers 292 l and 292 r inslightly downwardly beveled mounting surface areas that provide astraight line light propagation path 312 inclined at a −0.75° anglerelative to the plane of the top surfaces of scanning fingers 292 l and292 r. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a front elevation view of theplacement of wafer cassette 32 on slidable tray 24 relative to crossedlight propagation paths 310 and 312. Propagation paths 310 and 312 arecoplanar in a vertical plane and are angularly inclined in oppositedirections to cross over at a point 314 at the midpoint of the distancebetween scanning fingers 292 l and 292 r. FIG. 17 also shows in phantomlines a semiconductor wafer 152 positioned above wafer cassette 32 andin a location representing proper registration of wafer 152 in wafercassette 32.

Light propagation paths 310 and 312 are angularly inclined so that asingle wafer 152 properly registered in a slot of wafer cassette 32 andin a specified elevator position interrupts both beams equally. As shownin FIGS. 8 and 15 and described in greater detail below, scanningassembly 290 is supported on elevator assembly 28 that moves a port doorcarriage 344, the vertical position of which is measured by an opticalposition encoder 342. The movement of port door carriage 344 provides acontinuous scan of the contents of wafer cassette 32. As port doorcarriage 344 travels past a next specified elevator position, sensors306 a and 308 a produce output signals of equal magnitude for anelevator displacement equal to the wafer thickness. (The same waferthickness is measured by the corresponding sensors and emitters forlight propagation paths 310 and 312 when wafer 152 is registered in itsslot.) The magnitudes of the signals will change, but the differencebetween the signals will not change as port door carriage 344 moves tothe next specified elevator position.

A wafer 152 in cross slot position will interrupt only one lightpropagation path for a specified elevator position and thereby causesensors 306 a and 308 a to produce output signals of differentmagnitudes. The sensor output that indicates the presence of incidentlight represents the open slot and thus the direction of the horizontaltilt angle of wafer 152.

The common mode rejection properties of differential optical scanningassembly 290 reject signal perturbations caused by mechanical vibrationsand provides for an accurate individual wafer thickness measurement. Twowafers 152 occupying the same slot in wafer cassette 32 will interruptboth light propagation paths 310 and 312 for a specified elevatorposition; however, the magnitudes and difference between the signalswill not change for a longer than nominal vertical displacement of portdoor carriage 344 as it moves to the next specified elevator position.The continuous signal interruption indicates a greater than nominalwafer thickness in a slot and thereby represents double wafer occupancyof a slot in wafer cassette 32. The above-described crossed lightpropagation path detection arrangement is described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/141,890, filed Aug. 27, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No.6,160,265, which is assigned to the assignee of this application.

A light beam sensor 346 a and emitter 346 b form a light propagationpath 348 in a transverse (preferably perpendicular) direction to that ofcoplanar light propagation paths 310 and 312 described above. Sensor 346a and emitter 346 b are positioned at the top and bottom sides ofaperture 74 on exterior surface 96 of front plate 14 and outside of theregion where a wafer carrier box 18 would occupy to detect whether awafer 152 has been dislodged to protrude from its slot in the frontopening of carrier box 18. A dislodged wafer 152 descending out ofcarrier box 18 would interrupt light propagation path 348 to provide asignal that disables port door carriage 344 from descending farther andthereby prevent the protruding wafer 152 from being clipped by scanningfingers 292 l and 292 r as port door 76 is lowered. As indicated in FIG.18, the output signals of sensors 306 a, 308 a, and 346 a and ofposition encoder 342 are processed by central control system 349 to makethe above-described wafer registration determinations.

For any of the above-described preferred embodiments of a box hold downclamping mechanism, box load interface system 16 may be equipped withinstrumentation indicating carrier box presence and alignmentinformation on slidable tray 24. With reference to FIGS. 1, 6, 19, 25,and 29, a light beam sensor 390 a (FIGS. 19, 25, and 29) and a lightbeam emitter 390 b (FIGS. 1, 6, and 19) form a light propagation path392 (FIG. 19) in a transverse direction to exterior surface 96 of frontplate 14 and the carrier box mounting surface of slidable tray 24.Sensor 390 a and emitter 390 b are mounted to slidable tray 24 and aboveaperture 74 on exterior surface 96 of front plate 14 in locations thatestablish a direction of propagation path 392 that passes through theregion occupied by a wafer carrier box 18 when it is placed on slidabletray 24. Five carrier box placement switches 394 (FIGS. 25 and 29)depressed concurrently by a wafer carrier box 18 indicate its properregistration on kinematic coupling pins 66. Central control system 349monitors the continuity of light propagation path 392 and status ofplacement switches 394. Central control system 349 causes illuminationof an indicator light 396 (FIGS. 1 and 6) to indicate the presence of acarrier box 18 and various combinations of four indicator lights 398(FIGS. 1 and 6) to indicate the nature of any misalignment of carrierbox 18 on slidable tray 24.

FIGS. 1, 8, 9, 12, and 15 show elevator assembly 28 supporting port door76; FIG. 12 shows port door 76 in a fully raised position (solid lines)350 and a fully lowered position (outlined in phantom lines) 352.Elevator assembly 28 comprises a side drive lead screw mechanism 354that includes a lead screw 356 driven at a lower end by a smoothrunning, high torque, DC motor 358 and supported at an upper end bypreloaded end bearings 360 for rotation about a longitudinal axis 362.Numerous servo motors are known in the art, are commercially available,and would be suitable. Motor 358 is in communication with and controlledby an input controller that generates input command voltage signals. Theinput controller forms a part of central control system 349, whichdirects the operation of the interface system of the present invention.Input command signals delivered to motor 358 are converted to rotationof a motor drive output shaft 364. Motor 358 provides bidirectionalrotational output, reflecting the polarity of the voltage input signal.Motor drive output shaft 364 is operatively connected to lead screw 356.Rotation of motor drive output shaft 364 results in correspondingrotation of lead screw 356. A lead nut assembly 366 is threaded on leadscrew 356 and operatively connected to port door carriage 344 connectedto a side surface of port door 76 and lead screw 356. Rotation of leadscrew 356 results therefore in linear displacement of lead nut assembly366 along the length of lead screw 356. This results in lineardisplacement of port door carriage 344 to raise or lower port door 76 toperform a wafer scanning operation.

Optical position encoder 342 continuously monitors and provides feedbackas to the position of lead nut assembly 366 and thereby the positions ofwafers 152 stored in wafer cassette 32 relative to scanning fingers 292l and 292 r mounted to port door 76. An encoder carriage 372 is mountedin fixed relation to and thus moves in concert with lead nut assembly366. Encoder carriage 372 provides a housing for movable components ofoptical position encoder 342. Scanning assembly 290 is displaced as aconsequence of the displacement of encoder carriage 372 caused byrotation of lead screw 356.

An alternative mechanism for monitoring the position of lead nutassembly 366 can be accomplished by mounting at one of its ends a rotaryencoder pair, such as a Model 110514 encoder sold by Maxon for use witha Model 137540 (35 millimeter) or Model 148877 (40 millimeter) Maxonmotor.

Port door 76 and encoder carriage 372 are slidably mounted on stationaryvertical support plates 374 by means of high precision, low frictionlinear bearing assemblies 378 arranged in parallel to longitudinal axis362. Linear bearing assemblies 378 preferably extend for the full lengthof travel of lead nut assembly 366 and thereby positively guide encodercarriage 372 along the full length of its travel path. Various types ofposition encoders and devices for continuously monitoring and providingfeedback relating to the displacement of lead nut assembly 366 andencoder carriage 372 are known in the art and would be suitable. Opticalencoder assemblies are generally preferred, and encoders that operateusing Moire fringe pattern principles to continuously monitor theposition of encoder carriage 372 are especially preferred.

Optical position encoder 342 includes a read head mounting member 380 onwhich an array of light emitting diodes is mounted. A reference gratingis rigidly mounted on read head mounting member 380, and a stationarygrating 382 extends along the full length of travel of encoder carriage372. The structural design and functions of read head mounting member380 and stationary grating 382 that operate using Moire fringe patternprinciples are known and described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No.5,382,806.

The following summarizes the operational sequence of wafer transportsystem 10. An operator or robot mechanism places a carrier box 18 ontoslidable tray 24, and all of the eleven sensors required by SEMIspecifications check for proper registration of carrier box 18 onkinematic coupling pins 66. The operator or program control causesslidable tray 24 to move carrier box 18 relatively rapidly towardaperture 74 in front plate 14. A controller slows the motion of traymotor 100 to a constant speed when box door 30 reaches the penetrationpoint of latch keys 150 relative to slots 46 in box door 30. Thecontroller is implemented with a force feedback system that by eithersensing tray motor current or following a stored slidable tray positionprofile detects an obstruction or plastic component out-of-tolerancevariation and prevents overpowering slidable tray 24 under conditionsthat would prevent proper engagement of box door 30 with latch keys 150.The motor current sense entails sensing an amount of electrical currentfor a time relative to a distance traveled by slidable tray 24. Thefollowing of the tray position profile entails comparing to a storedposition profile a present position derived from a rotary positionencoder installed in tray motor 100. The force feedback systemestablishes for a valid zone of engagement a low force criterion appliedto carrier box 18 that, when exceeded, causes tray motor 100 to stalland thereby allow for a reversal of travel direction of slidable tray 24before penetration by latch keys 150 could be attempted.

When box door 30 mates with port door 76 and front side margin 148 formsa seal with the beveled side margin of aperture 74 in front plate 14,clamping finger 132 has completed securing carrier box 18 againstslidable tray 24 and latch key motor mechanism 172 turns latch keys 150to lock box door 30 to port door 76. Port door translation mechanism 250pulls box door 30 and port door 76 beyond interior surface 78 of frontplate 14. Presence sensor 346 a determines whether any of the wafers 152is protruding from wafer cassette 32. A second presence sensor 347 apositioned near finger pivot axes 298 l and 298 r of scanning fingers292 l and 292 r senses excessive protrusion of a wafer 152 and preventsfurther downward motion by elevator assembly 28.

Elevator assembly 28 causes port door carriage 344 and thereby port door76 to descend about 3 cm, and scanning fingers 292 l and 292 r flip outof port door 76 to their fully extended positions. Elevator assembly 28then causes port door carriage 344 to descend to scan the contents ofwafer cassette 32. If presence sensor 346 a indicates at least one wafer152 is protruding from wafer cassette 32, scanning fingers 292 l and 292r retract at each wafer position and flip outwardly to push theprotruding wafer 152 back into its slot in wafer cassette 32. Scanningfingers 292 l and 292 r repeat the flipping process for each waferposition until sensor 346 a indicates an obstruction is no longerpresent.

Following completion of a scan, scanning fingers 292 l and 292 rretract, elevator assembly 28 moves port door carriage 344 to itslowermost position, and port door 76 remains parked as wafer processingby robot assembly 20 takes place. Upon completion of wafer processing,elevator assembly 28 returns port door 76 to its uppermost position toseparate box door 30 from port door 76 and retract carrier box 18 awayfrom front plate 14.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 19–24, robot assembly 20 is positionablealong a linear traveling robot assembly 400. Linear traveling assembly400 includes a stationary lead screw 402 supported at either end by apillow block 404 mounted to a stage base 406. Each pillow block 404 isbolted or otherwise secured to stage base 406. A motor-driven rotatingnut mechanism 408 is mounted to robot assembly 20 to move it along leadscrew 402 between apertures 74 of side-by-side front plates 14. Nutmechanism 408 is contained within a housing 422 that is secured to acarriage 424. Carriage 424 is connected to a robot mounting plate 425that supports robot assembly 20 so that robot assembly 20 along withcarriage 424 moves along lead screw 402 between apertures 74. Carriage424 includes upper and lower tracks 426 and 428 that travel along upperand lower rails 430 and 432 bolted or otherwise secured to stage base406. Stage base 406 is immovably secured to front plates 14 by alignmentfixtures 434 that are bolted or otherwise secured at each end. Housing422 includes a sheet metal covering 436 to prevent dirt and dust fromaccumulating on nut mechanism 408 and serves as a safety cover toprevent injury that might result from clothing or anything that mightget caught in nut mechanism 408 as it travels along lead screw 402. Nutmechanism 408 is further protected by sheet metal coverings 438 and 440that are connected to stage base 406 by screws 441 and that extend intoslots 442 in carriage 424 and secured by screws 444. The ends of thesheet metal coverings 438 and 440 cooperate with plastic glides 446located within carriage 424 to prevent sheet metal coverings 438 and 440from being bent and to absorb any misalignment and keep them straight.Glides 446 also prevent metal to metal contact between carriage 424 andsheet metal coverings 438 and 440 to reduce contamination.

Nut mechanism 408 includes a lead nut 448 rotated by a motor 450 througha belt 452. Motor 450 is mounted to housing 422 by a motor mount 454.Motor 450 includes a drive shaft 456 that rotates a motor pulley 458connected thereto by a conical clamp 460. Belt 452 is in drivingengagement with a lead nut pulley 462 to rotate lead nut 448. Lead nutpulley 462 is rotated within a bearing 464 that is connected to housing422 through an inner race bearing clamp 466 and an outer race bearingclamp 468. Lead nut 448 is connected to lead nut pulley 462 by screwthreads at one end and is prevented from rotating within lead nut pulley462 by a lock nut 470. Lead nut 448 has resilient fingers 472 at one endthat are internally threaded and are forced inwardly by a lead nutsleeve 474 for engagement with lead screw 402. Wave springs 476 locatedbetween lead nut sleeve 474 and lead nut pulley 462 urge lead nut sleeve474 toward the finger end of lead nut 448. An internal cam surface 478on lead nut sleeve 474 acts on an enlarged end 480 of resilient fingers472 to force them inwardly into a secure threaded engagement with leadscrew 402.

Motor 450 receives power from an electrical cable 482 located beneathcarriage 424 and supported by a tray 484. Cable 482 is supported withinan articulated track 486 with one end connected to a power source 488and the opposite end connected to a power housing 490 on carriage 424 sothat cable 482 can travel along with carriage 424.

Robot assembly 400 is moved from one position to another by rotatinglead nut 448 in the above-described manner to advance carriage 424 alonglead screw 402 until the final position is reached. A linear encoderscale 500 is connected to carriage 424 and travels along with itindicate the position of carriage 424. End stops 502 are connected tostage base 406 at each end of lead screw 402 to stop carriage 424 at theproper location. Robot assembly 20 is positioned to retrieve and returnwafers from wafer carrier boxes 18 mated against front plates 14 by boxload interface systems 16.

To ensure precise alignment of robot assembly 20, front plate 14includes for stage base 406 mounting holes 410 that constituteregistration points for readily referencing robot assembly 20 to frontplate 14 to ensure vertical and center-to-center alignment. This featureis advantageous because additional subsystems provided in systemexpansion would be automatically aligned to preassigned registrationpoints.

FIGS. 38–45 show a four-bar carriage assembly 510, which is analternative embodiment of unitary construction that combines thefunctions of port door translation mechanism 250 and port door carriagemechanism 252. Components common to both embodiments are identified bythe same reference numerals.

With reference to FIGS. 38–44, elevator assembly 28 preferably uses sidedrive lead screw mechanism 354 in cooperation with a four-bar linkagemechanism 512 to raise and lower port door 76 and to move port door 76toward and away from aperture 74 of front plate 14. Linkage mechanism512 couples port door 76 to lead screw mechanism 354. Linkage mechanism512 comprises two pairs of pivot or bar links 516 pivotally mounted toand coupling together a Z drive carriage 518 and an H-shaped linkcarriage 520. Z drive carriage 518 is rigidly attached to lead nutassembly 366 located proximal to exterior surface 96 of front plate 14,and link carriage 520 is rigidly attached to port door 76 locatedproximal to interior surface 78 of front plate 14. Lead screw 356 drivenby motor 358 moves Z drive carriage 518 vertically on rails 522 that areattached to a backbone structure 524 secured to exterior surface 96 offront plate 14. The two pairs of bar links 516 have their ends pivotallyattached to different, opposite side surfaces of Z drive carriage 518and link carriage 520, the latter of which including a portion extendingthrough an elongated vertical opening in backbone structure 524. FIG. 42and FIGS. 43 and 44 show the different pairs of bar links 516 pivotallyattached to, respectively, the right-hand side and left-hand sidesurfaces of Z drive carriage 518 and link carriage 520 depicted in FIG.41. Bar links 516 are positioned to form a parallelogram of changingheight as they pivotally move in response to a linear displacement of Zdrive carriage 518. A travel guide roller 530 mounted on backbonestructure 524 operates in part as a mechanical stop that limits thevertical travel of link carriage 520 and port door 76. The maximumelevation of link carriage 520 set by guide roller 530 aligns port door76 with aperture 74 of front plate 14. Guide roller 530 functions,therefore, as a cam surface and follower device.

Four-bar carriage assembly 510 operates in the following manner.Elevator assembly 28 causes rotation of lead screw 356 and acorresponding linear displacement of lead nut assembly 366 along thelength of lead screw 356. This results in linear displacement of Z drivecarriage 518 to raise or lower it. Whenever the direction of rotation oflead screw 356 causes Z drive carriage 518 to move upwardly from itslowest position, which is shown in FIG. 39, link carriage 520 movesupwardly in unison with Z drive carriage 518 because bar links 516positioned on either side are aligned parallel to each other in ahorizontal direction by operation of a fluidic counterbalance mechanism,the construction and operation of which is described below withreference to FIG. 45.

Bar links 516 maintain their horizontal disposition until an uppersurface 532 of link carriage 520 contacts guide roller 530, whichposition is shown in phantom lines in FIG. 40. Link carriage 520 restsagainst guide roller 530 while Z drive carriage 518 continues its upwardmovement. The continued upward movement of Z drive carriage 518occurring while link carriage 520 remains stationary in the direction ofupward movement causes bar links 516 to pivot as a parallelogram ofdecreasing height to draw link carriage 520 and therefore port door 76in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of Z drivecarriage 518. A bottom steering roller 534 is mounted on backbonestructure 524 to receive a bottom surface 536 of link carriage 520 as itadvances toward interior surface 78 and port door 76 advances toward andin alignment with aperture 74 of front plate 14. Bottom steering roller534 prevents rotational motion of link carriage 520 and therebymaintains its straight line inward direction of travel perpendicular tothat of Z drive carriage 518 as it advances toward interior surface 78.Steering roller 534 also prevents link carriage 520 from falling underfluidic pressure loss conditions associated with the fluidiccounterbalance mechanism. Z drive carriage 518 reaches its highestposition, which is shown in solid lines in FIG. 40, when port door 76fits into and achieves sealed engagement with aperture 74 of front plate14.

Whenever the direction of rotation of lead screw 356 causes Z drivecarriage 518 to move downwardly from its highest position, bar links 516pivot to form a parallelogram of increasing height to move link carriage520 away from interior surface 78 and thereby cause port door 76 toretract from aperture 74 of front plate 14. Bar links 516 positioned oneither side assume a horizontal disposition parallel to each other afterupper surface 532 of link carriage 520 no longer contacts guide roller530 as Z carriage 518 and link carriage 520 continue to descend to thelowest position of Z carriage 518.

With particular reference to FIGS. 43 and 44, a hard stop block 540 ismounted on a side surface 542 of link carriage 520 at a location beneatha surface 544 of the bar link 516 positioned nearer to guide roller 530on the left-hand side surfaces of Z drive carriage 518 and link carriage520. Hard stop block 540 provides an impact surface 546 against whichsurface 544 of bar link 516 slides to prevent it (and the remainingthree bar links 516) from rotating past the horizontal position in aclockwise direction when upper surface 532 of link carriage 520 is notin contact with guide roller 530, as shown in FIG. 44. The tendency ofbar links 516 to over-rotate results from the operation of acounterbalance mechanism 550, which is designed to over-counterbalancelink carriage 520 and thereby lift port door 76, as described below.

Four-bar carriage assembly 510 is a preferred implementation of aunitary structure that combines the functions of port door translationmechanism 250 and port door carriage mechanism 252. Skilled persons willappreciate, however, that use of as few as one bar link 516 in acarriage assembly is possible in conjunction with a suitable guidemechanism to effect travel of port door 76 in the two prescribed (i.e.,vertical and horizontal) directions. For example, alternativeembodiments could include a pair of bar links, one positioned on each oftop sides and bottom sides of a Z drive carriage and a link carriage, ora single bar link implemented with a cam and roller follower mechanismdesigned to describe the desired motion. Moreover, a two-cylinderfluidic drive mechanism can be substituted for side drive lead screwmechanism 354. Two fluidic cylinders having extensible rods of theappropriate lengths and connected in series can provide the directionaldisplacements accomplished as described above.

With reference to FIG. 45, vertical/horizontal port door displacementfluidic-controlled counterbalance mechanism 550 counterbalances theweight of port door 76 during its sequential translational movement inthe upward and downward (i.e., vertical) and inward and outward (i.e.,horizontal) directions. In its preferred implementation, counterbalancemechanism 550 slightly over-counterbalances the weight of port door 76to apply a slight lifting force to it. Counterbalance mechanism 550includes a fluidic, preferably pneumatic, constant force cylinder 552having a body portion 554 with a closed end supported by a lower supportmember 556 fixed to backbone structure 524 and an open end through whichan extensible rod 558 protrudes. Cylinder body portion 554 is stationaryrelative to backbone structure 524, and extensible rod 558 changes itslength of extension from body portion 554 in response to the verticalmovement of link carriage 520 and therefore port door 76. Extensible rod558 is operatively connected to port door 76 by a belt 560 having oneend attached to an upper support member 562 fixed to backbone structure524 and the other end attached to a free end 564 of a pivot plate 566pivotally mounted to interior side surfaces of link carriage 520.Between its ends, belt 560 loops around a roller 572 fixed to the distalend of extensible rod 558 and around two spaced-apart rollers 574 and576 mounted to upper support member 562. The positions of the fixed endpoints of belt 560 and rollers 574 and 576 produce a folded beltconfiguration that establishes an operational relationship in which 1.0unit of vertical travel of Z drive carriage 518 produces 0.5 unit oflinear extension of extensible rod 558.

Counterbalance mechanism 550 operates in the following manner. Pneumaticcylinder 552 provides a constant force, F_(lift), in the direction oftravel (i.e., vertical direction) of Z drive carriage 518 when linkcarriage 520 is not in contact with guide roller 530. As Z drivecarriage 518 moves along rails 522, pneumatic cylinder 552 changes thelength of extension of extensible rod 558 by corresponding amounts totake up belt slack and lead out additional belt length as port door 76,respectively, advances toward or retracts from aperture 74. Wheneverlink carriage 520 contacts guide roller 530 and Z drive carriage 518continues upwardly directed movement, pivot plate 566, by operation offour-bar links 516, pivots in a clockwise direction about a pivot axis580 to provide a closing force, F_(close)=F_(lift) sin θ, in which θ isthe included angle between pivot plate 566 and a segment 582 of belt560. Belt 560 pulls pivot plate 566 in a direction that causes it tofold upwardly with a force component directed toward interior surface 78of front plate 14 to snap shut port door 76 into aperture 74. FIG. 45(top) shows link carriage 520 in phantom lines to indicate the extent ofhorizontal displacement of link carriage 520 and therefore port door 76for the minimum and maximum values of θ. The pivotal action of pivotplate 566 provides a positive self-locking feature for port door 76.Whenever link carriage 520 contacts guide roller 530 and Z drivecarriage 518 continues downward directed movement, pivot plate 566pivots in a counterclockwise direction to provide an opening force ofsame magnitude but opposite direction of closing force, F_(close), toretract port door 76 away from aperture 74. FIG. 45 (bottom) shows inphantom lines the positions of link carriage 520 and pivot plate 566when Z driv e carriage 518 is in its lowest position.

Counterbalance mechanism 550 exhibits several noteworthy features andadvantages. There is no applied force required when port door 76 is in afully open position (in which Z drive carriage 518 is in its lowestposition) or in a fully closed position (in which pivot plate 566 snapsport door 76 shut against front plate 14). Pneumatic cylinder 552, notmotor 358, carries the weight of port door 76. The counterbalancingimplementation creates a stroke multiplier in which the length of thebelt is twice the linear distance traveled by Z drive carriage 518because of the folded belt configuration.

A scanning assembly of a type exemplified by scanning assembly 290 thatincludes pivotable scanning fingers 292 l and 292 r and is designed witheither reflective or transmissive beam scanners can also be implementedwith four-bar carriage assembly 510.

It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many changesmay be made to the details of the above-described embodiments of thisinvention without departing from the underlying principles thereof. Thescope of the present invention should, therefore, be determined only bythe following claims.

1. In a specimen processing system configured to support a transport boxin which one or more specimens are stored, the box comprising a boxcover having an opening that provides access to specimens stored or tostore specimens in the box, and a removable box door that opens andcloses the opening of the box, a box load interface comprising; aretractable port door attachable to the box door to selectively move thebox door toward or away from the box cover to thereby close or open it;a port plate having a port plate aperture through which the box door canmove as the port door moves the box door toward or away from the boxcover; and a port door multi-axial positioning mechanism for selectivelymoving the port door toward or away from the port plate aperture alongfirst and second transverse paths of travel, the positioning mechanismincluding: a link carriage operatively connected to the port door and toa drive mechanism that moves a drive carriage along the first travelpath relative to a spatial reference datum; a pivot-link structureincluding a pivot link pivotally mounted at opposite ends to the linkcarriage and the drive carriage, the pivot-link structure contributingto movement of the link carriage and the drive carriage in unison for adistance along the first travel path; a guide positioned in fixedrelationship relative to the reference datum to prevent movement of thelink carriage along the first travel path beyond a locationcorresponding to a position of the port door in proximity to the portplate aperture so that, as the drive mechanism moves the drive carriagealong the first travel path while the guide prevents the link carriagefrom moving along the first travel path, the pivot link pivotally movesto cause the link carriage to move along the second travel path andthereby move the port door toward or away from the port plate aperture,depending on a direction of movement of the drive carriage along thefirst travel path relative to the link carriage.
 2. The system of claim1, in which the link carriage has first and second surfaces and theguide includes a first roller that the first surface of the linkcarriage contacts to prevent its movement along the first travel path,the box load interface further comprising a second roller mounted infixed relation to the first roller to contact the second surface of thelink carriage as it moves along the second travel path.
 3. The system ofclaim 1, in which the link carriage has first and second opposite sidesand the pivot-link structure includes first and second pairs of pivotlinks that are pivotally mounted to the respective first and secondsides of the link carriage, one of the pivot links of the first andsecond pairs being in operative association with a pivot motionrestriction feature to prevent pivotal movement of the pivot links whenthe link carriage and drive carriage move in unison along the firsttravel path.
 4. The system of claim 3, in which the pivot motionrestriction feature includes a mechanical stop that constrains in onedirection pivotal motion of the pivot link with which the pivot motionrestriction feature is associated.
 5. The system of claim 1, in whichthe first and second travel paths are orthogonal.
 6. The system of claim1, in which the drive mechanism includes a motor-driven lead screwmechanism.
 7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a counterbalancemechanism operatively coupled to the link carriage to support the weightof the port door as the drive mechanism moves the link carriage alongthe first travel path.
 8. The system of claim 7, in which thecounterbalance mechanism overcounterbalances the weight of the port doorto provide a lifting force to the port door.
 9. The system of claim 7,in which the counterbalance mechanism cooperates with the pivot linkstructure to move the link carriage and drive carriage in unison for adistance along the first travel path.
 10. The system of claim 7, inwhich the counterbalance mechanism comprises a pivot member that isoperatively connected for pivotal movement relative to the linkcarriage, the pivot member pivotally moving in a direction to advancethe port door toward the port plate aperture or in a direction toretract the port door away from the port plate aperture, depending onthe direction of movement of the link carriage along the second travelpath.
 11. The system of claim 10, in which the pivot member pivotallymoves to advance the port door by a distance that closes the port plateaperture and thereby provides a positive self-locking feature for theport door.
 12. The system of claim 10, in which the counterbalancemechanism further comprises a fluidic cylinder that includes anextensible rod that is operatively connected to the pivot member.
 13. Ina specimen processing system configured to support a transport box inwhich one or more specimens are stored, the box comprising a box coverhaving an opening that provides access to specimens stored or to storespecimens in the box, and a removable box door that opens and closes theopening of the box, a box load interface comprising; a retractable portdoor attachable to the box door to selectively move the box door towardor away from the box cover to thereby close or open it; a port platehaving a port plate aperture through which the box door can move as theport door moves the box door toward or away from the box cover; a portdoor multi-axial positioning mechanism for selectively moving the portdoor toward or away from the port plate aperture along first and secondtransverse paths of travel, the positioning mechanism including a linkcarriage operatively connected to the port door and to a drive mechanismthat moves a drive carriage along the first travel path relative to aspatial reference datum; and a counterbalance mechanism operativelycoupled to the link carriage to support the weight of the port door asthe drive mechanism moves the link carriage along the first travel path.14. The system of claim 13, in which the counterbalance mechanismovercounterbalances the weight of the port door to provide a liftingforce to the port door.
 15. The system of claim 13, in which thecounterbalance mechanism comprises a pivot member that is operativelyconnected for pivotal movement relative to the link carriage, the pivotmember pivotally moving in a direction to advance the port door towardthe port plate aperture or in a direction to retract the port door awayfrom the port plate aperture, depending on the direction of movement ofthe link carriage along the second travel path.
 16. The system of claim15, in which the pivot member pivotally moves to advance the port doorby a distance that closes the port plate aperture and thereby provides apositive self-locking feature for the port door.
 17. The system of claim15, in which the counterbalance mechanism further comprises a fluidiccylinder that includes an extensible rod that is operatively connectedto the pivot member.